Illinois vs. Michigan State preview

Saturday

Feb 19, 2011 at 12:01 AMFeb 19, 2011 at 7:00 PM

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Somehow after those back-to-back blowout losses earlier this month, Michigan State basketball found "some hip in their hop,'' said Spartans coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans host the Illini on Saturday for ESPN's College GameDay prime-time slot.

John Supinie

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Somehow after those back-to-back blowout losses earlier this month, Michigan State basketball found "some hip in their hop,'' said Spartans coach Tom Izzo.

Guard Kalin Lucas slowly recovered from an Achilles injury suffered in the NCAA tournament last March, and he's finally getting closer to full speed. Point forward Draymond Green became one of three players in program history to post triple-double. Now if only the Spartans could find senior guard Durrell Summers' game.

A shooter and designated scorer, Summers attempted one shot and found himself criticized for a lack of hustle on a key play in the 71-61 loss at No. 2 Ohio State on Tuesday.

"We've got to get individual guys playing better,'' Izzo said. "There's no secrets. The focus for me is on Durrell, plain and simple. Nobody has been more sympathetic and harder on him than me. I've got an obligation to get him out of this funk. We need him. To win games, you need two or three of your best players to play well.''

You get the feeling that Summers has been as frustrating to Izzo as guard Demetri McCamey has been for Illini coach Bruce Weber, before the Spartans host the Illini on Saturday for ESPN's College GameDay prime-time slot.

It's not been much fun this season for Izzo and his Spartans, just like Weber and the Illini. Michigan State was the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten title and picked No. 2 in the preseason top 25. An overwhelming schedule, kicking guards Chris Allen and Korie Lucious off the team and a string of injuries left Michigan State teetering on the edge of falling into the NIT.

The Illini were No. 13 in the preseason poll but triggered the alarm with losses to Illinois-Chicago, Indiana and Northwestern. They need two more Big Ten wins to stay on the NCAA bubble. Like Michigan State, they're trying to remain positive despite growing criticism and trying to keep from tightening up with the growing pressure of reaching March Madness.

"There are some parallels there between our teams,'' Illinois forward Bill Cole said.

Michigan State rebounded from a 20-point loss to Iowa and a 26-pointer to Wisconsin with an 18-point victory over Penn State and a respectable loss at Ohio State. Nevertheless, Michigan State doesn't become a real player down the stretch without Summers, who is 8-for-28 in the last four games.

"If we could ever get three guys playing well together instead of just two, I think we could still do something,'' Izzo said. "We're making progress, guys. I just don't know where it's going to take us. We can make amends for some of the things we went through.''

With Lucas averaging 21.3 points and 37.3 minutes over the last six games and Green adding 15.2 points a game over the last 10 -- including 15 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists against Penn State last weekend -- the Spartans look for Summers as the third option. His critics exploded after Summers didn't chase down a key loose ball against Ohio State and led to Summers opening up to teammates Thursday.

"I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine, basically," Summers said.

That might be the first step in the healing, said Izzo.

"They realize he's hurting, too,'' Izzo said. "He bleeds, he cries like the rest of us. Sometimes he hides it more. It's just us. Everybody else has kind of given up on you.''

The Illini know the feeling with fingers pointed at Weber and the senior class for months, and this season hasn't been much fun since a three-game winning streak to start Big Ten play. Perhaps the 54-52 win over Michigan -- a rare close win -- helped Illinois' confidence and may allow them to loosen up.

"If you're a player, you've got to play,'' Weber said. "I hope you have jitters before hand. When the game starts, you have to let it loose. I think we'll go to Michigan State and play happy, free and get after it. We've got all the lights on, all the people watching, a nationwide audience. It's a great opportunity for our guys to shine.''

It's hard to stay positive when surrounded by negative criticism. The Illini "think everyone is against us,'' said center Mike Tisdale, and Cole admitted "there's always been pressure this season on the senior class or this team.'' McCamey said last week that some of the fun is gone.

"Losing takes the fun out of the game,'' said senior forward Mike Davis. "I can see where he's coming from. He had fun the other night, scoring 18 points to help us win, playing good defense and playing hard. We need him. When he plays well, we play well.''

Noteworthy: Illinois defeated Michigan State 71-62 in Assembly Hall on Jan. 18 to take a 55-54 lead in the series. The Illini shot 61.5 percent in the first half, including 66.7 percent from the 3-point line. … Guard Brandon Paul came off the bench to score 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting while Jereme Richmond also scored 14 points in a substitute role. McCamey had 15 points and 11 assists. Lucas scored 15 points to lead the Spartans. … The Illini attempt to win consecutive games since going undefeated in the first three Big Ten games. … Michigan State forward Delvon Roe isn't expected to start and likely will play limited minutes after a knee injury. He logged 8 minutes against Ohio State on Tuesday, then had the knee drained Thursday. … Last year on College GameDay, the Illini defeated No. 5 Michigan State 78-73 in the Hall.

Key for Illini: Rebound. Michigan State is plus 4.0 in rebound margin and notorious for controlling the glass to start the fast break.

Key for Spartans: A big game from Summers would probably sway the outcome.

Key quote: "To me, we had fun at Minnesota. We played out butts off. We helped each other, cheered and got after it. If I can get them to focus on that, they'll forget about their own little problems.'' -- Illinois coach Bruce Weber.